“A Matter of Theology, not Evidence”: US Missile Defense and Ideational Change

In his dissertation, Marco Fey investigates the reasons behind the change in American missile defense policies in the last twenty years. Since the Reagan administration, missile defense had been an integral element in the political identity of both parties: the Republicans were set on creating a national missile defense shield while the Democrats were vehemently against this plan. As such, it is all the more surprising that the Democrats withdrew their opposition to this initiative in the course of the last twenty years. Neither materialistic, geopolitical nor domestic policy considerations provide an adequate explanation for this development..